Welcoming Our New Trustees
Appointed at our 2025 Annual General Meeting, we’re delighted to welcome five new trustees to the AYJ board
These individuals bring a wide range of experience across youth justice, community practice, finance, policy, and law. Their insight and leadership will help guide the Alliance through the next phase of our work — as we shape a new strategic direction and continue to advocate for a more just, child-centred youth justice system.
These new appointments follow a comprehensive recruitment process, designed to strengthen our governance, reflect the diversity of the members we work alongside, and ensure we have the right mix of skills on our board. We’re proud to have increased the representation of racially minoritised people, women, and age diversity on our board as a result.
An image featuring a photo of each new Trustee.
Heena Mohammed
Heena is Head of MPS Oversight at the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime. Her career spans senior roles in the Home Office, youth and adult prison education programmes in the US, and policy work on police powers. She is a Fulbright and Obama Scholar with a deep commitment to justice reform and public service.
Vinni Klair
Vinni is a senior finance professional with two decades of experience in banking and personal finance. Alongside her professional work, she has volunteered for the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Thameside, ensuring humane treatment in custody, and previously supported Oxfam and Amnesty International UK.
Caroline Liggins
Caroline is a Partner and Head of Youth Justice at Hodge Jones & Allen, and sits on several Ministry of Justice working groups. She has spoken at the House of Commons on key youth justice issues, co-founded the Youth Practitioners’ Association, and is a passionate advocate for the rights of children in the justice system.
Emma Slater
Emma is a senior policy advisor in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, with a background in chartered accountancy and international development. She has worked on legal aid and youth justice in Zambia, supported children’s charities in Cambodia, and brings valuable expertise across finance, policy, and charity governance.
Lucy Knell-Taylor
Lucy leads a specialist Exploitation and Missing service in a London borough and has over 15 years’ experience as a youth worker and practitioner across health, social care, education, and the justice system. Her work focuses on safeguarding, diversion, and tackling systemic harms — and she’s long been an active voice in the AYJ network.
Want to learn more about each trustee’s background? You can read their full bios on our Board page.